2025北京版新教材英语高考第一轮
主题群六 科学与技术
五年高考
阅读理解
Passage 1(2023北京,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 411
What is life Like most great questions, this one is easy to ask but difficult to answer. The reason is simple: we know of just one type of life and it's challenging to do science with a sample size of one. The field of artificial life—called ALife for short—is the systematic attempt to spell out life's fundamental principles. Many of these practitioners, so-called ALifers, think that somehow making life is the surest way to really understand what life is.
So far no one has convincingly made artificial life. This track record makes ALife a ripe target for criticism, such as declarations of the field's doubtful scientific value. Alan Smith, a complexity scientist, is tired of such complaints. Asking about “the point” of ALife might be, well, missing the point entirely, he says. “The existence of a living system is not about the use of anything,” Alan says. “Some people ask me, ‘So what's the worth of artificial life ’ Do you ever think, ‘What is the worth of your grandmother ’”
As much as many ALifers hate emphasising their research's applications, the attempts to create artificial life could have practical payoffs. Artificial intelligence may be considered ALife's cousin in that researchers in both fields are enamoured by a concept called open-ended evolution(演化). This is the capacity for a system to create essentially endless complexity, to be a sort of “novelty generator”. The only system known to exhibit this is Earth's biosphere. If the field of ALife manages to reproduce life's endless “creativity” in some virtual model, those same principles could give rise to truly inventive machines.
Compared with the developments of AI, advances in ALife are harder to recognise. One reason is that ALife is a field in which the central concept—life itself—is undefined. The lack of agreement among ALifers doesn't help either. The result is a diverse line of projects that each advance along their unique paths. For better or worse, ALife mirrors the very subject it studies. Its muddled(混乱的) progression is a striking parallel(平行线) to the evolutionary struggles that have shaped Earth's biosphere.
Undefined and uncontrolled, ALife drives its followers to repurpose old ideas and generate novelty. It may be, of course, that these characteristics aren't in any way surprising or singular. They may apply universally to all acts of evolution. Ultimately ALife may be nothing special. But even this dismissal suggests something: perhaps, just like life itself throughout the universe, the rise of ALife will prove unavoidable.
1. Regarding Alan Smith's defence of ALife, the author is .
A. supportive B. puzzled C. unconcerned D. doubtful
2. What does the word “enamoured” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean
A. Shocked. B. Protected. C. Attracted. D. Challenged.
3. What can we learn from this passage
A. ALife holds the key to human future.
B. ALife and AI share a common feature.
C. AI mirrors the developments of ALife.
D. AI speeds up the process of human evolution.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage
A. Life Is Undefined. Can AI Be a Way Out
B. Life Evolves. Can AI Help ALife Evolve, Too
C. Life Is Undefined. Can ALife Be Defined One Day
D. Life Evolves. Can Attempts to Create ALife Evolve, Too
Passage 2(2022北京,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 408
Quantum(量子) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I've also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.
For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype(炒作) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can't keep. “What's new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”
As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work's potential. If researchers can't keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn't be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.
After I read the book,Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson's concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.
The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin(幅度)” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”
Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims I don't know. I'm certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.
1. Regarding Johnson's concerns, the author feels .
A. sympathetic B. unconcerned C. doubtful D. excited
2. What leads to Taylor's optimism about quantum computing
A. His dominance in physics. B. The competition in the field.
C. His confidence in PyQuantum. D. The investment of tech companies.
3. What does the underlined word “prone” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean
A. Open. B. Cool. C. Useful. D. Resistant.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage
A. Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor
B. Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology
C. Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being
D. Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype
Passage 3(2020北京,C) 主题 科学精神 词数 408
For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century French manuscript (手稿) consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious (神秘) as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. “You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it,” she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen (工匠) who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English medicine for eye problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how an object was made in order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared—something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together. She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.
Back when science—then called “the new philosophy”—took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering (修补), as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
1. How did Smith feel after reading the French manuscript
A. Confused about the technical terms. B. Impressed with its detailed instructions.
C. Discouraged by its complex structure. D. Shocked for her own lack of hand skills.
2. According to Smith, the reconstruction work is done mainly to .
A. restore old workshops B. understand the craftsmen
C. improve visual effects D. inspire the philosophers
3. Why does the author mention museums
A. To reveal the beauty of ancient objects. B. To present the findings of old science.
C. To highlight the importance of antiques. D. To emphasise the values of hand skills.
4. Which would be the best title for this passage
A. Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists B. Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories
C. Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists D. Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science
Passage 4(2020北京,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 431
Certain forms of AI are indeed becoming ubiquitous. For example, algorithms (算法) carry out huge volumes of trading on our financial markets, self-driving cars are appearing on city streets, and our smartphones are translating from one language into another. These systems are sometimes faster and more perceptive than we humans are. But so far that is only true for the specific tasks for which the systems have been designed. That is something that some AI developers are now eager to change.
Some of today's AI pioneers want to move on from today's world of “weak” or “narrow” AI, to create “strong” or “full” AI, or what is often called artificial general intelligence (AGI). In some respects, today's powerful computing machines already make our brains look weak. AGI could, its advocates say, work for us around the clock, and drawing on all available data, could suggest solutions to many problems. DM, a company focused on the development of AGI, has an ambition to “solve intelligence”. “If we're successful,” their mission statement reads, “we believe this will be one of the most important and widely beneficial scientific advances ever made.”
Since the early days of AI, imagination has outpaced what is possible or even probable. In 1965, an imaginative mathematician called Irving Good predicted the eventual creation of an “ultra-intelligent machine... that can far surpass all the intellectual (智力的) activities of any man, however clever.” Good went on to suggest that “the first ultra-intelligent machine” could be “the last invention that man need ever make.”
Fears about the appearance of bad, powerful, man-made intelligent machines have been reinforced (强化) by many works of fiction—Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the Terminator film series, for example. But if AI does eventually prove to be our downfall, it is unlikely to be at the hands of human-shaped forms like these, with recognisably human motivations such as aggression (敌对行为). Instead, I agree with Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom, who believes that the heaviest risks from AGI do not come from a decision to turn against mankind but rather from a dogged pursuit of set objectives at the expense of everything else.
The promise and danger of true AGI are great. But all of today's excited discussion about these possibilities presupposes the fact that we will be able to build these systems. And, having spoken to many of the world's foremost AI researchers, I believe there is good reason to doubt that we will see AGI any time soon, if ever.
1. What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” in Paragraph 1 probably mean
A. Enormous in quantity. B. Changeable daily.
C. Stable in quality. D. Present everywhere.
2. What could AGI do for us, according to its supporters
A. Help to tackle problems. B. Make brains more active.
C. Benefit ambitious people. D. Set up powerful databases.
3. As for Irving Good's opinion on ultra-intelligent machines, the author is .
A. supportive B. disapproving C. fearful D. uncertain
4. What can be inferred about AGI from the passage
A. It may be only a dream. B. It will come into being soon.
C. It will be controlled by humans. D. It may be more dangerous than ever.
Passage 5(2019北京,C) 主题 信息安全 词数 445
The problem of robocalls has gotten so bad that many people now refuse to pick up calls from numbers they don't know. By next year, half of the calls we receive will be scams(欺诈). We are finally waking up to the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it's too little, too late. By the time these “solutions”(解决方案) become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it's not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you're hearing is actually real.
That's because there are a number of powerful voice manipulation(处理) and automation technologies that are about to become widely available for anyone to use. At this year's I/O Conference, a company showed a new voice technology able to produce such a convincing human-sounding voice that it was able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.
These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data breaches(数据侵入) of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother's name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they're able to carry out individually targeted campaigns to cheat people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you using a voice that sounds exactly like your bank teller's, tricking you into “confirming” your address, mother's name, and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.
We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by, or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications—using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which can be tied to your identity.
Credibility is hard to earn but easy to lose, and the problem is only going to get harder from here on out.
1. How does the author feel about the solutions to the problem of robocalls
A. Panicked. B. Confused. C. Embarrassed. D. Disappointed.
2. Taking advantage of the new technologies, scammers can .
A. aim at victims precisely B. damage databases easily
C. start campaigns rapidly D. spread information widely
3. What does the passage imply
A. Honesty is the best policy.
B. Technologies can be double-edged.
C. There are more solutions than problems.
D. Credibility holds the key to development.
4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage
A. Where the Problem of Robocalls Is Rooted
B. Who Is to Blame for the Problem of Robocalls
C. Why Robocalls Are About to Get More Dangerous
D. How Robocalls Are Affecting the World of Technology
三年模拟
阅读理解
Passage 1(2024届朝阳期中,A) 主题 科技发展 词数 285
A hearing aid is a small electronic device you wear in or behind your ear to make sounds louder. A hearing aid has three basic parts: a microphone, an amplifier and a speaker. The hearing aid receives sound through a microphone, which changes the sound waves to electrical signals and sends them to an amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the signals and sends them to the ear through a speaker. There are three styles of hearing aids.
Behind-the-ear (BTE) aids are used by people of all ages. “Mini” BTE is a new kind. These small and open-fit aids fit behind the ear completely, with a narrow tube into the ear canal, enabling the canal to remain open. Thus, some people prefer it because their own voice does not sound “plugged up”.
In-the-ear (ITE) aids fit completely inside the outer ear. Some ITE aids may have added features, such as a telecoil that allows users to receive sound through the circuitry of the hearing aid, rather than through its microphone.
Canal aids fit into the ear canal and are available in two styles. In-the-canal (ITC) aids are made to fit the size and shape of the ear pletely-in-canal (CIC) aids are hidden in the ear canal.
The hearing aid that will work best for you depends on your hearing needs and lifestyle. Price is also a key consideration. However, just because one hearing aid is more expensive than another does not necessarily mean that it will better suit your needs. Other features to consider include parts or services covered by the guarantee, estimated costs for repair, and the hearing aid company's reputation for quality and service.
For more information, contact: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov.
1. What helps strengthen the power of electrical signals in a hearing aid
A. The microphone. B. The amplifier.
C. The speaker. D. The telecoil.
2. If preferring a hearing aid that keeps the ear canal open, you can choose .
A. “mini” BTE B. in-the-ear aids
C. in-the-canal aids D. completely-in-canal aids
3. To buy a suitable hearing aid, you should .
A. increase your estimated costs
B. find the one with more features
C. give in to the after-sale services
D. consider your needs and lifestyle
Passage 2(2024届丰台期中,C) 主题 科技发展 词数 351
“Flying insects don't fly directly to lights from far away because they're attracted to them, but appear to change course toward a light if they happen to be passing by due to a strange inborn biological response,” writes Samuel Fabian, a bioengineer, in a research paper.
Until now, the leading scientific hypothesis has been that insects use the moon's light to direct the way at night and mistake artificial lights for the moon. But this idea doesn't explain why insects that only fly during the day also gather around lights.
To find out what really happens, Samuel's team track the precise movements of insects in the wild around lights using a high-speed camera. This revealed two notable behaviours. First, when insects fly above lights, they often invert(转向) themselves and try to fly upside down, causing them to fall very fast. Just after insects pass under a light, they start doing a ring road. As their climb angle becomes too steep, they suddenly stop and start to fall. Second, when insects approach a light from the side, they may circle or “orbit” the light.
The videos show that the inversions sometimes result in insects falling on lights. It can appear to the naked eye as though they are flying at the lights. “Instead, insects turn their dorsum toward the light, generating flight perpendicular(垂直) to the source,” the team write. It is common to the two behaviours that the insects are keeping their backs to the light, known as the dorsal light response (DLR). This DLR is a shortcut for insects to work out which way is up and keep their bodies upright, as the moon or sun is usually more or less directly above them, and this direction allows them to maintain proper flight attitude and control. They also find that the insects fly at right angles to a light source, leading to orbiting and unstable flights as the light's location relative to them changes as they move.
Samuel's team suggest that a possible outcome of the research could help the construction industry to avoid the types of light that most attract insects.
1. What does the research focus on
A. Why insects gather around lights.
B. Where artificial lights lead insects to.
C. What biological response insects are born with.
D. How to design environment friendly artificial lights.
2. What can we learn about insects from the videos of their movements
A. They fly directly to lights. B. They circle close to lights.
C. Their flying speed is steady. D. Their inversions can be controlled.
3. The DLR makes insects .
A. balance their flying B. keep their route straight
C. decide their body position D. shorten their flight distance
Passage 3(2024届朝阳期中,D) 主题 社会进步 词数 415
In the 1790s, an English doctor called Edward Jenner gave his gardener's son cowpox(牛痘) and then deliberately infected him with smallpox(天花) to test his assumption that people who were frequently exposed to cowpox, a similar but less severe virus, would avoid catching smallpox. It worked and cowpox as the vaccine(疫苗) was highly effective. “Vaccination”, from the Latin word for cow, soon became commonplace.
Challenge trials are forms of research where, rather than relying on data from natural infections, we intentionally expose someone to a disease in order to test the effectiveness of a vaccine or treatment. Things have changed a lot since Jenner's time, of course, when it was not uncommon for doctors to conduct this kind of research. Even so, there's the continuous sense that there's something immoral about making someone ill on purpose.
But this shouldn't blind us to the extraordinary power of challenge trials. They could become increasingly important weapons in the medical research, in a situation where vaccine technology is advancing and the threat of diseases jumping from animals into human beings is increasing.
Much has been done to reduce the risks of challenge trials. Like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), researchers have involved adults who are at a low risk of severe illness. These acts have already cut down a massive range of vaccine candidates. With their help, the world will soon have more and more vaccines against RSV, which kills tens of thousands of newborn babies each year. But not all diseases are like this. We don't always know the dangers volunteers might face; we don't always have treatments ready. What then
We could, of course, just avoid these questions entirely, and rely on other types of research. But that doesn't always work: sometimes, animal testing is tricky and uninformative, because the disease doesn't develop in the same way as it would in humans. In contrast, challenge trials can be deeply informative within weeks, with far fewer volunteers. And the benefits can be surprisingly high.
In order to make sure we are as protected as possible from current and future threats, we should try to get rid of the misbelief in challenge trials, making them a more familiar part of our tool kits. Perhaps the greatest reward of all would be to make sure participants' efforts are worthwhile: by designing trials to be fair and effective and applying them when and where they might make a real difference. In short, by helping them to save thousands, if not millions of lives.
1. The author tells the story of Edward Jenner mainly to .
A. give a definition of challenge trials
B. introduce the topic of challenge trials
C. highlight the effectiveness of his vaccine
D. explain the origin of the word “vaccination”
2. What can we infer from the passage
A. The issues behind challenge trials can be solved.
B. The dangers of challenge trials outweigh the benefits they bring.
C. Challenge trials can benefit numerous lives in spite of their risks.
D. Challenge trials can set back the development of vaccine technologies.
3. What does the author intend to tell us
A. People should still be careful about challenge trials.
B. A more open attitude should be taken towards challenge trials.
C. Challenge trials guarantee participants protection against threats.
D. More volunteers involved can improve the accuracy of challenge trials.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage
A. Should we use challenge trials to find cures
B. Can challenge trials be a block to medical progress
C. Can challenge trials be the end of infectious diseases
D. Should we replace animal testing with challenge trials
Passage 4(2024届丰台期中,D) 主题 信息技术创新 词数 437
We humans are in trouble. We have let loose a new evolutionary process that we don't understand and can't control.
The latest leaps forward in artificial intelligence (AI) are rightly causing anxiety. Yet people are responding as though AI is just one more scary new technology, like electricity or cars once were. We invented it, the argument goes, so we should be able to manage it for our own benefit. Not so. I believe that this situation is new and potentially dangerous.
My thinking starts from the premise that all design anywhere in the universe is created by the evolutionary algorithm(算法). This is the process in which some kind of information is copied many times, the copies vary slightly and only some are selected to be copied again. The information is called the replicator(复制者), and our most familiar example is the gene.
But genes aren't the only replicator, as Richard Dawkins stressed in The Selfish Gene. People copy habits, stories, words, technologies and songs; we change, recombine and pass them on in ever greater variety. This second replicator, evolving much faster than genes ever could, Dawkins called memes(模仿传递行为)—and they are selfish too.
As we face up to the recent explosion in AI, new questions arise. Could a third replicator take advantage of the first two And what would happen if it did
For billions of years, all of the Earth's organisms were gene machines, until, about 2 million years ago, just one species—our ancestors—started imitating sounds, gestures and ways of processing food. They had let loose a second replicator and turned us into meme machines. Following the same principle, could a third replicator appear if some object we made started copying, varying and selecting a new kind of information
It could, and I believe it has. Our digital technology can copy, store and spread vast amounts of information with near-perfect accuracy. While we had mostly been the ones selecting what to copy and share, that is changing now. Mindless algorithms choose which ads we see and which news stories they “think” we would like. Once a digital replicator takes off, its products will evolve for its own benefit, not ours.
All is not lost, though. We already cope with fast-evolving parasites such as viruses by using our immune systems, machines and vaccines. Now, we need to build our collective mental immunity, our critical thinking and our ability to protect our attention from all that selfish information. Taking lessons from evolution, we can stop imagining we are the controllers of our accidentally dangerous offspring and start learning how to live with them.
1. As for people's attitude toward AI, the author is .
A. disapproving B. unconcerned
C. sympathetic D. tolerant
2. According to the passage, Richard Dawkins may agree that .
A. memes are composed of selfish genes
B. the speed of evolution is underestimated
C. replicators vary with human interference
D. memes and genes share a common feature
3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph
A. Technologies can be double-edged.
B. Collective efforts make a better world.
C. We should live in harmony with nature.
D. Past experience is relevant to future action.
4. What can we learn from the passage
A. The pace of technological progress is unstoppable.
B. The initiative of algorithms should be strengthened.
C. The new evolution can bring about negative effects.
D. Artificial intelligence can satisfy our real desires.
Passage 5(2023东城期末,C) 主题 科技发展 词数 403
Every robot is trained in some way to do a task. By seeing what to do, robots can copy the way of doing the task. But they do so unthinkingly, perhaps relying on sensors to try to reduce collision (碰撞) risks, rather than having any understanding of why they are performing the task or where they are within physical space. It means they will often make mistakes—hitting the object in their way, for instance.
Hod Lipson and his colleagues are trying to face the challenge. They placed a robot arm in a laboratory where it was surrounded by four cameras at ground level and one camera above it. These fed video images back to a deep neural(神经的) network, a form of AI, connected to the robot that monitored its movement within the space. For 3 hours, the robot arm moved randomly and the neural network was fed information about the arm's mechanical input and watched how it responded by seeing where it moved to in the space. This generated nearly 8,000 data points—and the team generated an additional 10,000 through a simulation (模拟) of the robot in a virtual version of its environment.
To test how well the AI had worked, a cloud-like diagram was generated to show where the neural network “thought” the arm should be found as it moved. It was accurate to within 1 percent, meaning if the workspace was 1 metre wide, the system correctly estimated its position to within 1 centimetre. If the neural network is considered to be part of the robot itself, this suggests the robot has the ability to visualise where it physically is at any given moment.
“To me, this is the first time in the history of robotics that a robot has been able to create a mental model of itself,” says Lipson. “It's a small step, but it's a sign of things to come.”
Learning about the research, Andrew Hundt at the Georgia Institute of Technology says, “There is potential for further research to lead to useful applications based on this method, but not self- perception. The computer simply matches shape and motion patterns that happen to be in the shape of a robot arm that moves.” David Cameron at the University of Sheffield, UK, also says that following a specified path to complete a goal is easily achieved by existing robots.
1. Hod Lipson's work focuses on robots' .
A. flexibility B. self-awareness
C. deep-learning ability D. error correction
2. What is the function of the neural network in the experiment
A. To process and transform neural information.
B. To study and simulate AI's virtual environment.
C. To analyse and predict the arm's position changes.
D. To record and output the video images of the robot.
3. As for the result of the experiment, Andrew Hundt is .
A. sympathetic B. content C. uncertain D. disapproving
4. What is the main purpose of the passage
A. To discuss a scientific concept. B. To assess a scientific finding.
C. To introduce a science application. D. To present a scientific research.
Passage 6(2023石景山期末,C) 主题 科学技术 词数 351
The technology for speech-recognition systems has advanced greatly since its appearance in the 1950s. Many voice systems can understand the language when it is spoken at a normal conversational rate. But even the advanced human-machine interfaces(人机界面) used today are unable to trick the listeners into thinking a computer is a human. Why is this Simply put, it's because human beings rely on more than words to convey ideas or interpret messages, such as tones, facial expressions, body movements, and objects in the world around them.
One significant recent achievement in the field of talking computers is virtual personal assistants (VPAs) on mobile phones. If you tell a mobile phone VPA that you want to schedule a lunch with a friend, it can set the appointment in your phone in seconds. The VPA can also hold a basic “conversation” and has earned fame for its elementary sense of humour. Still, the humour is preprogrammed and can be triggered only when human users speak certain key words.
While the potential for “real” communication between a human and a machine may seem exciting, this possibility concerns some people. Some experts worry about people's attachment to these machines and fear that the art of successful human-to-human conversation will be undeveloped in younger generations. They worry that people won't be able to display the right emotion or tone in conversations because they haven't been practising those skills. Others fear that machines will take over functions that were traditionally performed by humans, such as customer service. Another concern often associated with the development of new technology is the invasion of privacy(侵犯隐私). When people use certain speech-recognition applications, they leave behind an audio track of their speech. When you ask a VPA for directions, your speech is sent and saved to a remote server for processing. This digital trail may lead to data mining, or the collection of large quantities of personal data.
For now, however, the continuing evolution of speech-recognition software is worth expecting. Leading companies in the field hope to make human communication with machines as seamless as possible, just like communicating with another human.
1. According to the passage, what can a VPA do
A. Entertain users with original jokes.
B. Make people regard it as a human.
C. Hold preprogrammed conversations.
D. Display the right tones in conversations.
2. Which situation reflects the concerns mentioned in the passage
A. One VPA service was priced higher for protecting users' privacy.
B. An airline bore high costs for applying VPAs to its online service.
C. An app failed to offer the right direction when given spoken instructions.
D. Some teenagers became more socially awkward due to the addiction to VPAs.
3. What is the purpose of the passage
A. To inform readers of the double-edged quality of a new technology.
B. To inspire readers to explore the future of a new technology.
C. To promote the application of a new technology.
D. To stress the convenience of a new technology.
4. What might be the best title of the passage
A. The worries over VPAs. B. Talking to technology.
C. The world of technology. D. Listening to “a real person”.
Passage 7(2023西城期末,D) 主题 信息安全 词数 425
The start-up that attracted the largest investment in the history of cybersecurity, of more than half a billion dollars, has a simple goal:a passwordless future.
Despite the spread of password management software that can generate and remember complicated strings of random characters, some of the most common passwords are still “12345”, “password” and “iloveyou”. As a result, more than 80 percent of hacks involve these kinds of passwords; and passwords remain the most sought-after data by hackers, above other personal or sensitive information.
In many cases, individuals are tricked into handing over password details by phishing emails and other social engineering techniques. Hackers have sought to break into apps and steal entire password databases as well. Passwords are also under attack from new technology, such as automated programs that can rapidly try to guess them, or can try stolen passwords on multiple online accounts.
Since the need to replace the easily forgotten and highly hackable strings of letters and numbers that we use to access everyday life has become even more urgent, the race to replace the password is under way, with biometric-based (基于生物识别的) security emerging as one of the most sought-after solutions. According to Tieo, a union of more than 250 companies, which promotes a standard system of passwordless authentication (身份验证), the vast majority of consumer services will offer passwordless login systems in the next couple of years. “If done correctly and safely, biometrics are really helping us move to a passwordless future in a rapid manner,” said Andrew Jenkinson, CEO of Tieo.
But there are still risks associated with the use of biometric authentication. Unlike passwords, biometrics cannot be changed. This means such data must be closely guarded for privacy purposes and to prevent spoofing—hackers trying to trick cameras or sensors with photos, or masks of their victim. “Biometric authentication or passwordless authentication has its own attack surface,” said Paul Smith, director of security research at CyberPek. His team revealed that it had found a design problem which would allow potential attackers to bypass facial recognition login by injecting a spoofed photo of a user's face into the process.
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the start-ups hoping to kill the password is how to change years of habit. Eric Brown, founder of TAK Cyber, a cyber research and advisory company, argued that while sensitive applications may rapidly shift from passwords, other websites have less motivation to update their systems. “You'll never get rid of them,” he said. “We're never going to get to the post-password era.”
1. What is the third paragraph mainly about
A. Why passwords are the most sought-after data.
B. How passwords are stolen by phishing emails.
C. How passwords have caused us trouble.
D. Why passwords are difficult to secure.
2. What can we infer from the passage
A. Facial recognition login is the key to fighting hackers.
B. Biometric authentication has its own set of problems.
C. TAK Cyber's login system guarantees the safety of data.
D. Spoofing brings more problems than automated programs.
3. What is Eric Brown's attitude towards a passwordless future
A. Indifferent. B. Passionate. C. Pessimistic. D. Objective.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage
A. Biometric authentication:password security solution!
B. Start-ups race to welcome a passwordless future
C. The argument to end passwords has begun
D. Killing the password:a cure or a fantasy
Passage 8(2023丰台期末,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 483
It all started when I typed a perfectly reasonable prompt (提示词) into one of several apps on the market that can create an image based on text. “Skull space laser dinosaur starship explosion,” I wrote. The app processed for a few seconds, and returned four images, one of which was strangely accurate: a dinosaur-looking skull screamed out of an empty space, trailing fire. It looked like an illustration from the art magazine, and perhaps art from the magazine influenced its creation.
Text-to-image AIs identify images by looking at the text that people have used to describe those pictures online. When the app got my prompt, it studied images that random people had described as “dinosaur” or laser and soon then used what is called a diffusion model (扩散模型) to add a bunch of random chaos to those pictures. Once they were suitably completed, it “upscaled” them, removing noise and sharpening focus. Its work is so good that an artist using it recently won first place for digital images at the Colorado State Fair.
But there are major ethical (道德的) issues raised by the success of such AIs. The biggest has to do with those training data sets. Reporters recently discovered that the data set used by text-to-image AIs contained images of violence. Some companies are working on ways to prevent the public from seeing images based on offensive and illegal pictures in the data set. A representative of the companies also noted that the images in its data set are “already available on publicly available websites”.
But even if this problem is fixed there is still the question of all the other pictures online that are being transformed into AI-generated masterpieces. As many artists have pointed out, their works are being used without payment. The image-generating algorithm (算法) creates illustrations and even movies by using data sets stocked with art stolen from artists who post their works online.
Some AI researchers argue that their algorithms aren't stealing from artists so much as learning from them just as human artists learn from each other. But a more ethical approach would be for companies to acknowledge their debt to artists and create a model of voluntary collective licensing, much like what radio stations first did in radio's early days. Back then, musicians created groups like BMI to collectively license their music to radio stations—then BMI would pay artists based on how often their songs were played. Perhaps artists and art institutions today could form a “collecting society” that would allow companies to license their artwork for data sets.
To create ethical AI systems, we need to acknowledge the people whose work makes those systems so magical. We can't simply snarf up every image online—we need humans to manage those data sets and we need to pay them to do it.
1. What can we learn about text-to-image AIs from the first two paragraphs
A. They are developed to process pictures.
B. They are used to describe online pictures.
C. They use a diffusion model to combine pictures.
D. They create their works based on online pictures.
2. One of the issues raised by the success of text-to-image AIs is .
A. the influence upon art creation B. the availability of online pictures
C. the neglect of the artists' copyright D. the prospect of artists being replaced
3. Why did the author mention BMI in Paragraph 5
A. To introduce the role that BMI played in AI history.
B. To present a way to regulate the use of online pictures.
C. To prove the necessity of licensing music to radio stations.
D. To demonstrate the urgency of forming a collecting society.
4. What can we infer from the passage
A. It is not practical to improve the image-generating algorithm.
B. The function of text-to-image AIs shouldn't be underestimated.
C. Human efforts should be valued in the application of text-to-image AIs.
D. Companies should be held responsible for the illegal pictures on public websites.
Passage 9(2023石景山期末,D) 主题 信息技术 词数 400
A person could be forgiven for believing 20 years ago that the Internet would soon revolutionise academic publishing, because it became possible for publishers to spread scholarly work at the click of a button—much cheaper than the traditional subscription-based (订阅) model. Recognising the opportunity, many scholars and librarians began to advocate a new, open access model, in which articles are made freely available online to anyone. The result would be a true online public library of science.
However, more than two decades later, the movement has made only slight progress, and the traditional subscription-based model remains entrenched.
Fortunately, things are changing. A big shoe dropped when the University of California (UC) Libraries, one of the biggest library systems, declined to renew its contract with Elsevier, a leading scientific publisher. Elsevier wanted the Libraries to pay two fees: One for its package of licensed journals and the other for the use of Elsevier's open access model. UC Libraries wanted the licensed journals fee to cover the open access fee; they also wanted open access to all UC researches published in Elsevier journals. When the two sides couldn't come to terms, the Libraries walked away.
Actually, the open access revolution is more likely to be led by research funding agencies, who can use their purse power to promote open access. A team of funders, cOAlition S, insisted that any research they fund should be published in a journal that makes all of its articles freely and immediately available to the public, which is called Plan S.
Now that some librarians and funders are flexing their muscles, what should academics do The worst response would be to complain that Plan S deprives(剥夺) them of academic freedom. Some thoughtful academics might worry that a shift to open access would affect their promotion. After all, subscription journals are more familiar and more prestigious(有威望的) in the current system. However, if enough academics support open access, the system could reach a tipping point beyond which subscriptions no longer signal prestige. Reaching that point would take considerable time and efforts, but it is possible.
When the journal system began in 1665, it was kind of a form of open access. Journals allowed academics to learn openly from one another. It was only in the 1900s that the journal system became thoroughly commoditized(商品化). Now is the time to bring it back to its roots.
1. What does the underlined word probably mean
A. Uncertain. B. Unacceptable. C. Limited. D. Popular.
2. What is the core of failed negotiation between UC Libraries and Elsevier
A. The duration of the contract. B. The way of payment.
C. The charge for the open access model. D. The choice of licensed journals.
3. What can be inferred from the passage
A. Academics welcome the open access model full-heartedly.
B. The open access model will soon achieve a dominant position.
C. Publishers are willing to abandon the subscription model gradually.
D. Establishing a true online public library of science requires joint efforts.
4. What is the author's attitude towards the open access model
A. Critical. B. Supportive. C. Disapproving. D. Indifferent.
七选五
Passage(2022东城二模) 主题 信息技术 词数 310
Picture this: you've just settled into your workday and pulled up that big report you need to finish, when a friend sends you a couple of celebrity videos on WeChat. 1. And then the next thing you know, an hour has gone by while that big report sits, ignored, on your desk. So how does that happen
To understand this, we conducted a series of studies with 6,445 people. Through this research, we identified three factors: the amount of media the person has already viewed, the similarity of the media they've viewed, and the manner in which they viewed the media.
We found the order and types of content we consume can affect our decision to keep consuming similar content. But what drives this effect 2. When something feels more accessible, it becomes easier to process, leading us to enjoy it more.
These results also explain why it's so easy to get distracted by apps on social media at work. 3. They offer bite-sized content that makes it easy to quickly consume several videos in a row. They often automatically suggest similar content, and many of them even automatically start playing similar videos, reducing the potential for interruptions.
4. To fight the pull, make an effort to just watch one video. If you really want to watch multiple videos in a row, choose videos that seem unrelated. You can also use a social media timer that urges you to take a break after a certain amount of time, or even just consciously remind yourself to consume different kinds of content.
So, if you're struggling to climb out of a rabbit hole, try to find ways to reduce the similarity, repetitiveness, and relatedness of the content you're consuming. 5. Once you manage to break free, you'll be back at that big report in no time.
A. It can be difficult, but it's not impossible.
B. You figure you'll just take a few minutes to watch them.
C. Accessibility refers to how familiar a given kind of content feels.
D. These platforms are designed to trap viewers in a social media rabbit hole.
E. Prior research suggests that the three factors all increase the accessibility of similar media.
F. The good news is, a better understanding of the problem can give us the tools to escape it.
G. This will become a problem if it keeps you from doing the things you actually want to be doing.
阅读表达
Passage(2022朝阳一模) 主题 信息技术 词数 346
Many parents are watchful about their kids' use of electronic devices and set strict limits for them to protect their children from the potentially harmful effects of too much screen time. But parents may be overlooking another device-related danger—secondhand screen time. It's meant to mirror the danger in regard to secondhand smoking. When parents are distracted by an electronic device and only give partial attention to their children, the kids are actually suffering from its influence.
Secondhand screen time can bring negative consequences. Kids, whose parents spend too much time with their devices, are more likely to develop addictive behaviours with devices as they grow. Excessive (过度的) device use also sends the message that the device and activities on it are more important than the children. This can lead to a breakdown in the parent-child relationship. When parents are absorbed in their devices, they may not realize their children are exposed to violent or mature content or fast-moving images that are overly stimulating for young brains.
Secondhand screen time is an issue parents need to be aware of regardless of their children's age. Parents can take the following tips to reduce its impact.
Focus on quality time
A child's cognitive, communication, social and emotional development happens via their relationships with their care providers. The more time parents spend looking at electronics, the less time they can devote to giving the kids their full attention. This doesn't mean parents should never use devices when they are together with their children. Parents need to be aware of how often they are fully engaged with their children without devices and make sure they offer quality interaction and attention.
Set an example
Parents often tell kids it's important to control device use, but if their experience with parents from an early age is watching parents use devices frequently, children are much more likely to follow that model. By setting a good example, parents are sending to their kids the message “do as I do”, which is more effective than “do as I say”.
1. What is secondhand screen time according to the passage
2. What problems does secondhand screen time bring to children
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Excessive device use gets in the way of maintaining a good parent-child relationship, so parents should never use devices in the presence of their children.
4. Apart from the tips mentioned in the passage, what other ways can you think of to reduce secondhand screen time (In about 40 words)
书面表达
Writing(2023海淀期中) 主题 信息安全
假设你是红星中学高三(1)班班长李华。近期你班计划开展“信息安全教育”的主题班会,请你给你班交换生Jim写一封电子邮件,内容包括:
1. 班会目的及活动安排;
2. 请他参加并在会后发表感想。
注意:1. 词数100左右;
2. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
提示词语:information security
Dear Jim,
Yours,
Li Hua
主题群六 科学与技术
五年高考
阅读理解
Passage 1(2023北京,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 411
What is life Like most great questions, this one is easy to ask but difficult to answer. The reason is simple: we know of just one type of life and it's challenging to do science with a sample size of one. The field of artificial life—called ALife for short—is the systematic attempt to spell out life's fundamental principles. Many of these practitioners, so-called ALifers, think that somehow making life is the surest way to really understand what life is.
So far no one has convincingly made artificial life. This track record makes ALife a ripe target for criticism, such as declarations of the field's doubtful scientific value. Alan Smith, a complexity scientist, is tired of such complaints. Asking about “the point” of ALife might be, well, missing the point entirely, he says. “The existence of a living system is not about the use of anything,” Alan says. “Some people ask me, ‘So what's the worth of artificial life ’ Do you ever think, ‘What is the worth of your grandmother ’”
As much as many ALifers hate emphasising their research's applications, the attempts to create artificial life could have practical payoffs. Artificial intelligence may be considered ALife's cousin in that researchers in both fields are enamoured by a concept called open-ended evolution(演化). This is the capacity for a system to create essentially endless complexity, to be a sort of “novelty generator”. The only system known to exhibit this is Earth's biosphere. If the field of ALife manages to reproduce life's endless “creativity” in some virtual model, those same principles could give rise to truly inventive machines.
Compared with the developments of AI, advances in ALife are harder to recognise. One reason is that ALife is a field in which the central concept—life itself—is undefined. The lack of agreement among ALifers doesn't help either. The result is a diverse line of projects that each advance along their unique paths. For better or worse, ALife mirrors the very subject it studies. Its muddled(混乱的) progression is a striking parallel(平行线) to the evolutionary struggles that have shaped Earth's biosphere.
Undefined and uncontrolled, ALife drives its followers to repurpose old ideas and generate novelty. It may be, of course, that these characteristics aren't in any way surprising or singular. They may apply universally to all acts of evolution. Ultimately ALife may be nothing special. But even this dismissal suggests something: perhaps, just like life itself throughout the universe, the rise of ALife will prove unavoidable.
1. Regarding Alan Smith's defence of ALife, the author is .
A. supportive B. puzzled C. unconcerned D. doubtful
2. What does the word “enamoured” underlined in Paragraph 3 most probably mean
A. Shocked. B. Protected. C. Attracted. D. Challenged.
3. What can we learn from this passage
A. ALife holds the key to human future.
B. ALife and AI share a common feature.
C. AI mirrors the developments of ALife.
D. AI speeds up the process of human evolution.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage
A. Life Is Undefined. Can AI Be a Way Out
B. Life Evolves. Can AI Help ALife Evolve, Too
C. Life Is Undefined. Can ALife Be Defined One Day
D. Life Evolves. Can Attempts to Create ALife Evolve, Too
答案
1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D
Passage 2(2022北京,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 408
Quantum(量子) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I've also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.
For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype(炒作) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can't keep. “What's new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”
As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work's potential. If researchers can't keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn't be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.
After I read the book,Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson's concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.
The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin(幅度)” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”
Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims I don't know. I'm certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.
1. Regarding Johnson's concerns, the author feels .
A. sympathetic B. unconcerned C. doubtful D. excited
2. What leads to Taylor's optimism about quantum computing
A. His dominance in physics. B. The competition in the field.
C. His confidence in PyQuantum. D. The investment of tech companies.
3. What does the underlined word “prone” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean
A. Open. B. Cool. C. Useful. D. Resistant.
4. Which would be the best title for the passage
A. Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor
B. Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology
C. Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being
D. Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype
答案
1. A 2. C 3. A 4. D
Passage 3(2020北京,C) 主题 科学精神 词数 408
For the past five years, Paula Smith, a historian of science, has devoted herself to re-creating long-forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book, she came across a 16th-century French manuscript (手稿) consisting of nearly 1,000 sets of instructions, covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious (神秘) as his name; he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. “You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it,” she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand, doing things the old-fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen (工匠) who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world, what objects filled their homes, and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present-day problems: In 2015, scientists discovered that a 10th-century English medicine for eye problems could kill a drug-resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums, Smith says. One must know how an object was made in order to preserve it. What's more, reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared—something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together. She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation, teamwork, and problem solving.
Back when science—then called “the new philosophy”—took shape, academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering (修补), as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands-on experience and craftwork, Smith says, we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
1. How did Smith feel after reading the French manuscript
A. Confused about the technical terms. B. Impressed with its detailed instructions.
C. Discouraged by its complex structure. D. Shocked for her own lack of hand skills.
2. According to Smith, the reconstruction work is done mainly to .
A. restore old workshops B. understand the craftsmen
C. improve visual effects D. inspire the philosophers
3. Why does the author mention museums
A. To reveal the beauty of ancient objects. B. To present the findings of old science.
C. To highlight the importance of antiques. D. To emphasise the values of hand skills.
4. Which would be the best title for this passage
A. Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists B. Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories
C. Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists D. Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science
答案
1. D 2. B 3. D 4. C
Passage 4(2020北京,D) 主题 科学技术 词数 431
Certain forms of AI are indeed becoming ubiquitous. For example, algorithms (算法) carry out huge volumes of trading on our financial markets, self-driving cars are appearing on city streets, and our smartphones are translating from one language into another. These systems are sometimes faster and more perceptive than we humans are. But so far that is only true for the specific tasks for which the systems have been designed. That is something that some AI developers are now eager to change.
Some of today's AI pioneers want to move on from today's world of “weak” or “narrow” AI, to create “strong” or “full” AI, or what is often called artificial general intelligence (AGI). In some respects, today's powerful computing machines already make our brains look weak. AGI could, its advocates say, work for us around the clock, and drawing on all available data, could suggest solutions to many problems. DM, a company focused on the development of AGI, has an ambition to “solve intelligence”. “If we're successful,” their mission statement reads, “we believe this will be one of the most important and widely beneficial scientific advances ever made.”
Since the early days of AI, imagination has outpaced what is possible or even probable. In 1965, an imaginative mathematician called Irving Good predicted the eventual creation of an “ultra-intelligent machine... that can far surpass all the intellectual (智力的) activities of any man, however clever.” Good went on to suggest that “the first ultra-intelligent machine” could be “the last invention that man need ever make.”
Fears about the appearance of bad, powerful, man-made intelligent machines have been reinforced (强化) by many works of fiction—Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the Terminator film series, for example. But if AI does eventually prove to be our downfall, it is unlikely to be at the hands of human-shaped forms like these, with recognisably human motivations such as aggression (敌对行为). Instead, I agree with Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom, who believes that the heaviest risks from AGI do not come from a decision to turn against mankind but rather from a dogged pursuit of set objectives at the expense of everything else.
The promise and danger of true AGI are great. But all of today's excited discussion about these possibilities presupposes the fact that we will be able to build these systems. And, having spoken to many of the world's foremost AI researchers, I believe there is good reason to doubt that we will see AGI any time soon, if ever.
1. What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” in Paragraph 1 probably mean
A. Enormous in quantity. B. Changeable daily.
C. Stable in quality. D. Present everywhere.
2. What could AGI do for us, according to its supporters
A. Help to tackle problems. B. Make brains more active.
C. Benefit ambitious people. D. Set up powerful databases.
3. As for Irving Good's opinion on ultra-intelligent machines, the author is
